Call for Papers

This is just a quick reminder to those interested in submitting proposals to
the Must See TV collection. Thank you, those who have already submitted
their proposals, but for everyone else, just a gentle reminder that the
deadline is October 1st 1999, although realistically we probably won't get
around to looking over proposals until after the first week of term, so end
of the first week in October will be fine.

Here is a copy of the original proposal:

Call for papers
Must See TV: designing schedules, creating events, and finding audiences

Peter Kramer has claimed that a life is something you get when there¹s
nothing on television. Indeed, he has provocatively asked whether one can
name a crime movie of the past 15 years that is as good as an average
episode of NYPD Blue or Homicide: Life on the Street; a horror film that is
as good as an average episode of The X Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer; or
a romantic comedy film as good as an average episode as any one of a score
of television sitcoms.

As this suggests, while television was traditionally discussed in terms of
habitual viewing and televisual Œflow¹, changing audience demographics, new
technologies, and industry strategies have all combined to produce the
category of ŒMust See TV¹: shows which are no longer produced or consumed as
part of an habitual flow of televisual programming, but either through
design or audience response, become anchors, hooking people into the
schedule.

We are seeking proposals for articles on the topic of ŒMust See TV¹.
Possible subjects might include:

Changing industry strategies
… New  televisual media (cable, video, satellite), the recycling of
television programming, and the construction of the television classic
Changing audience demographics and habits of viewing
… Fan cultures
… ŒOrdinary¹ viewing and Œordinary¹ audiences
… Genres and formats
… Specific programmes (e.g.): thirtysomething, Seinfeld, Twin Peaks, The New
Adventures of Superman, The X Files, NYPD Blue, ER, Star Trek, Buffy, etc.
… Event television (such as Diana’s funeral; theme nights (Starsky and Hutch
Weekend); schedule disrupting news coverage; final episodes [e.g. M*A*S*H,
Cheers, Seinfeld])

Please send proposals of between 300 and 500 words -- or questions -- to:
Robert McMinn, School of American and Canadian Studies, University of
Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, England.
Email: [log in to unmask]
OR
Mark Jancovich, Institute of Film Studies, University of Nottingham,
University Park, NG7 2RD.
Email: [log in to unmask] Telephone: 0115 951 4250; Fax: 0115 951
4270

Please also include contact details, and a brief bio. The deadline for
proposals is 1 October 1999. The finished articles for accepted pieces would
be expected by 1 October 2000.

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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite